Welcome to the Freshwater Biome. There are many things to do when visiting the freshwater biome. Many people enjoy swimming, water skiing and scuba diving. Other fun things to do are boating, duck hunting, and sailing. It is always fun to be on the water (Uses). Freshwater is only a tiny percent of the world. Most bodies of water are salt water. Most of the freshwater is lakes and Rivers. About 75% of the world’s freshwater supplies is locked up in ice in the arctic and the antarctic and almost 25% of freshwater is ground water. The water in lakes and rivers is called freshwater because it has little amount of salt. Most people can drink freshwater, but it is not safe to drink because of chemical contamination. Seawater is not drinkable because of the high levels of salt. Ponds are also another type of freshwater. Ponds are small and shallow bodies of water. The sun reaches the entire area of the pond. The sun does not reach the whole area of a lake. This means lakes have colder water. Lakes major outputs are evaporation and overflow to floodplains. Streams are another form of freshwater. Streams flow downhill because of the pull of gravity. They merge into deeper and wider rivers, which eventually empty into the sea. The freshwater biome can be easily hurt from human interactions. Lakes and rivers can clean themselves but humans are making new factories so the process of self cleaning is being slowed down. So you should come visit soon before all the clean freshwater biomes are ruined.
Climate and terrain
Climate: The temperatures in a temperate lake can be very different because of the time of year it’s in. During the coldest part of the winter, the lake water could freezes at the top but the water under the ice would be just about to freeze about 1°C(Physical Geography of Lakes and River). There are many different ways for the dips on the lake to form. The great lakes in North America are made 60000 years ago by the advancing glaciers. Glaciers are flows of snow, ice and whatever they pick up on the path. They reason the glaciers flow is by the force of gravity. as the climate gets warmer, the glaciers leave behind deeper dips or depressions as they slowly filled with water that are melted by the hot weather. The snow, ice and other objects that the glaciers picked up are remaining in the depression along with the melted snow and ice as the glacier move southwards. They leave behind arc shaped piles of rubble called moraines that stop major outflows to the south. Many factors can make the lake's physical and chemical properties different. Some factors are how the shape of the basin that contained the lake. The climate is also one of the main factors that determine the physical and chemical properties. The way the water flow into the lake is also one of the many factors.
Three Locations
Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a body of flowing freshwater which flows at 1,450,000 cubic feet per second. It is 2,900 miles long, which makes it the second longest in Africa only behind the Nile. The Congo rises in the highlands of Zambia to an elevation of 5,760 feet above sea level. With all of it's tributaries, the Congo makes the largest network of navigable waterways. The hippopotamus is one of the highlighted species that lives in the freshwater Congo river. hippos love to swim in water because they need to use the coolness of the water to cool down their body temp because of the intense heat in the Congo. the Greeks named them the "river horse" because that is how much the hippopotamuses love water. The hippos are great swimmers and they can even hold their breath underwater up to 10 mins. Their eyes and nose are located high on their head so they can see and breath while almost fully submerged. Other then the mammals that live in the Congo, there are over 230 species of fish in the Congo, one of the most dangerous is the Goliath Tigerfish. The Goliath Tigerfish is found and feared in the Congo River. This fish is the largest of the Tigerfish family, the biggest recorded size is 5ft and 154lbs. The Goliath tigerfish has 32 very sharp razorlike teeth, each being around 1in long. The Goliath Tigerfish eats small crocodiles and has been known to attack humans in some cases. The fish has incredible eyesight in order to see prey in the dark and cloudy waters.There are also reptiles in the Congo like crocodiles. In the Tropical parts, it is hot and humid near the equator and cooler and drier in the southern side and wetter in the eastern highlands. north of the equator is wet season from April to October and Dry season from December to February. In the south side of the equator, its wet season from November to March and dry season from April to October. Freshwater biome in the vast central basin is a low-lying plateau but in the east, it is mountainous.
So in the food web, the producers are the aquatic macrophytes, phytoplankton, and the fiamentous algae. they all get their energy from the nutrients in the water. the pimary consumers are the zebra mussels, midge larvae, stonefly nymphs, mayfly nymphs, caddis larvae, dipteran larve, small crustaceans and pond snails. The Secondary consumers are leeches, dragonfly nymphs, water striders, and carnlvorous water beetles. The Tertiary consumers are stickleback and perch. The top consumers are the pike and the waterbirds (Ecology).
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world. Its length is 307 miles or 494 kilometers. Lake Michigan has an average depth of 295 feet or 85 meters. The lake empties out into the straits of Mackinac to Lake Huron.
Map of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is a huge example of a freshwater biome. It being 30 to 120 miles wide and 22,178 sq miles, 307 miles long, there is lots of space to have fun! The Lake is one of the five Great Lakes that lie in the northern United States and is 177 meters above sea level. Lake Michigan is also 281 meters deep, or 923 feet! It empties into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico through the man-made Illinois Waterway, and naturally flows into Lake Huron by the Straights of Mackinac (Michigan). This vast freshwater lake is perfect for extreme jet skiing or peaceful boating.
To see what Lake Michigan looks like in summer click here.
To see a video of what Lake Michigan looks like in winter click here.
Lake Michigan Food Web
The microscopic producers are eaten by the first level consumers. Those organisms are eaten by second level consumers that are mostly fish. They are then eaten by bigger and more vicious fish, which continues up the levels of the food web (Krause).
Nile River
Nile Food Web
The cladophora, epiphytic diatoms, and the nostoc are the producers. The primary consumers are the tuft-weaving chironomids. Secondary consumers are Roach fry, Predatory insects, and stickleback fry. The Top consumers are the large roach and the steelhead.
Map of the nile river
The Nile River is the largest river in the world as it has a length of about 6695 kilometers. 22 percent of the water from the Nile runs through Egypt. Most of the water used comes from the Nile river. The Nile Crocodile is the most common in the freshwater among the Nile River. It is one of the largest in the world. This reptile can be up to 20 ft long. The Nile Crocodile is one of the highlighted species in the Nile River. The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest Crocodilian. They can also be as heavy as 1650 pounds. The normal size are more in the area of 16 feet and 500 pounds. They live in many places such as the Saharan Africa, Madagascar's river, mangrove swamps, and freshwater marshes.
The White Perch is a species that can be found in Lake Michigan. Its scientific name is Morone americana. The White Perch is a fish that mostly eats the egg of other fish and sometimes zooplankton (Fuller).
Largemouth Bass
The Largemouth bass is one of the most popular gamefish in North America. The average length of a Largemouth is 18in. but can grow up to 24in. The fish's habitat mainly consists of relatively shallow water (because of the fish thriving in warm waters of 70-85 degrees F), brudh, fallesn trees, overhang, and grass. The species is a very widly sought after gamefish becouse of the fight that it usually gives up with light tackle.
Goliath Tigerfish
The Goliath Tigerfish is a freshwater fish that is found and feared in the Congo River. This fish is the largest of the Tigerfish family, the biggest recorded size is 5ft and 154 lbs. The Goliath tigerfish has 32 very sharp razorlike teeth, wach being around 1in long. The goliath Tigerfish eats small crocodiles and has been known to attack humans in some cases. The fish has incredible eyesight in order to see prey in the dark and cloudy waters
Nile Crocodile
The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest crocodilian. They can reach a max size of 20ft and can be as heavy as 1650 pounds. The normal size are more in the area of 16 feet and 500 pounds. They live in many places such as the Saharan Africa, Madagascar's river, mangrove swamps, and freshwater marshes (National).
6.Fuller, P., E. Maynard, D. Raikow, J. Larson, A. Fusaro, and M. Neilson. 2013.
Morone americana. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database,
Gainesville, FL. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/
factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=777 Revision Date: 11/20/2012
7. Krause, A.E., K.A. Frank, D.M. Mason, and W.W. Taylor. Changes in the
connectivity pattern of a food-web network after biological invasions.
Special Session- Integrating Approaches to Connectivity: Landscapes,
Patches & Networks. 89th ESA Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society
of America, Portland, Oregon. August 1-6, 2004.
Table of Contents
Caution: seizure warning
Introduction
Welcome to the Freshwater Biome. There are many things to do when visiting the freshwater biome. Many people enjoy swimming, water skiing and scuba diving. Other fun things to do are boating, duck hunting, and sailing. It is always fun to be on the water (Uses). Freshwater is only a tiny percent of the world. Most bodies of water are salt water. Most of the freshwater is lakes and Rivers. About 75% of the world’s freshwater supplies is locked up in ice in the arctic and the antarctic and almost 25% of freshwater is ground water. The water in lakes and rivers is called freshwater because it has little amount of salt. Most people can drink freshwater, but it is not safe to drink because of chemical contamination. Seawater is not drinkable because of the high levels of salt. Ponds are also another type of freshwater. Ponds are small and shallow bodies of water. The sun reaches the entire area of the pond. The sun does not reach the whole area of a lake. This means lakes have colder water. Lakes major outputs are evaporation and overflow to floodplains. Streams are another form of freshwater. Streams flow downhill because of the pull of gravity. They merge into deeper and wider rivers, which eventually empty into the sea. The freshwater biome can be easily hurt from human interactions. Lakes and rivers can clean themselves but humans are making new factories so the process of self cleaning is being slowed down. So you should come visit soon before all the clean freshwater biomes are ruined.Climate and terrain
Climate: The temperatures in a temperate lake can be very different because of the time of year it’s in. During the coldest part of the winter, the lake water could freezes at the top but the water under the ice would be just about to freeze about 1°C(Physical Geography of Lakes and River). There are many different ways for the dips on the lake to form. The great lakes in North America are made 60000 years ago by the advancing glaciers. Glaciers are flows of snow, ice and whatever they pick up on the path. They reason the glaciers flow is by the force of gravity. as the climate gets warmer, the glaciers leave behind deeper dips or depressions as they slowly filled with water that are melted by the hot weather. The snow, ice and other objects that the glaciers picked up are remaining in the depression along with the melted snow and ice as the glacier move southwards. They leave behind arc shaped piles of rubble called moraines that stop major outflows to the south. Many factors can make the lake's physical and chemical properties different. Some factors are how the shape of the basin that contained the lake. The climate is also one of the main factors that determine the physical and chemical properties. The way the water flow into the lake is also one of the many factors.
Three Locations
Congo River
The Congo River is a body of flowing freshwater which flows at 1,450,000 cubic feet per second. It is 2,900 miles long, which makes it the second longest in Africa only behind the Nile. The Congo rises in the highlands of Zambia to an elevation of 5,760 feet above sea level. With all of it's tributaries, the Congo makes the largest network of navigable waterways. The hippopotamus is one of the highlighted species that lives in the freshwater Congo river. hippos love to swim in water because they need to use the coolness of the water to cool down their body temp because of the intense heat in the Congo. the Greeks named them the "river horse" because that is how much the hippopotamuses love water. The hippos are great swimmers and they can even hold their breath underwater up to 10 mins. Their eyes and nose are located high on their head so they can see and breath while almost fully submerged. Other then the mammals that live in the Congo, there are over 230 species of fish in the Congo, one of the most dangerous is the Goliath Tigerfish. The Goliath Tigerfish is found and feared in the Congo River. This fish is the largest of the Tigerfish family, the biggest recorded size is 5ft and 154lbs. The Goliath tigerfish has 32 very sharp razorlike teeth, each being around 1in long. The Goliath Tigerfish eats small crocodiles and has been known to attack humans in some cases. The fish has incredible eyesight in order to see prey in the dark and cloudy waters.There are also reptiles in the Congo like crocodiles. In the Tropical parts, it is hot and humid near the equator and cooler and drier in the southern side and wetter in the eastern highlands. north of the equator is wet season from April to October and Dry season from December to February. In the south side of the equator, its wet season from November to March and dry season from April to October. Freshwater biome in the vast central basin is a low-lying plateau but in the east, it is mountainous.
So in the food web, the producers are the aquatic macrophytes, phytoplankton, and the fiamentous algae. they all get their energy from the nutrients in the water. the pimary consumers are the zebra mussels, midge larvae, stonefly nymphs, mayfly nymphs, caddis larvae, dipteran larve, small crustaceans and pond snails. The Secondary consumers are leeches, dragonfly nymphs, water striders, and carnlvorous water beetles. The Tertiary consumers are stickleback and perch. The top consumers are the pike and the waterbirds (Ecology).
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is the sixth largest freshwater lake in the world. Its length is 307 miles or 494 kilometers. Lake Michigan has an average depth of 295 feet or 85 meters. The lake empties out into the straits of Mackinac to Lake Huron.
Lake Michigan is a huge example of a freshwater biome. It being 30 to 120 miles wide and 22,178 sq miles, 307 miles long, there is lots of space to have fun! The Lake is one of the five Great Lakes that lie in the northern United States and is 177 meters above sea level. Lake Michigan is also 281 meters deep, or 923 feet! It empties into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico through the man-made Illinois Waterway, and naturally flows into Lake Huron by the Straights of Mackinac (Michigan). This vast freshwater lake is perfect for extreme jet skiing or peaceful boating.
To see what Lake Michigan looks like in summer click here.
To see a video of what Lake Michigan looks like in winter click here.
The microscopic producers are eaten by the first level consumers. Those organisms are eaten by second level consumers that are mostly fish. They are then eaten by bigger and more vicious fish, which continues up the levels of the food web (Krause).
Nile River
The cladophora, epiphytic diatoms, and the nostoc are the producers. The primary consumers are the tuft-weaving chironomids. Secondary consumers are Roach fry, Predatory insects, and stickleback fry. The Top consumers are the large roach and the steelhead.
The Nile River is the largest river in the world as it has a length of about 6695 kilometers. 22 percent of the water from the Nile runs through Egypt. Most of the water used comes from the Nile river. The Nile Crocodile is the most common in the freshwater among the Nile River. It is one of the largest in the world. This reptile can be up to 20 ft long. The Nile Crocodile is one of the highlighted species in the Nile River. The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest Crocodilian. They can also be as heavy as 1650 pounds. The normal size are more in the area of 16 feet and 500 pounds. They live in many places such as the Saharan Africa, Madagascar's river, mangrove swamps, and freshwater marshes.
The Nile Crocodile Video;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijhjOfcIu1w&feature=channel
Highlighted Species
White Perch
The White Perch is a species that can be found in Lake Michigan. Its scientific name is Morone americana. The White Perch is a fish that mostly eats the egg of other fish and sometimes zooplankton (Fuller).
Largemouth Bass
The Largemouth bass is one of the most popular gamefish in North America. The average length of a Largemouth is 18in. but can grow up to 24in. The fish's habitat mainly consists of relatively shallow water (because of the fish thriving in warm waters of 70-85 degrees F), brudh, fallesn trees, overhang, and grass. The species is a very widly sought after gamefish becouse of the fight that it usually gives up with light tackle.
Goliath Tigerfish
The Goliath Tigerfish is a freshwater fish that is found and feared in the Congo River. This fish is the largest of the Tigerfish family, the biggest recorded size is 5ft and 154 lbs. The Goliath tigerfish has 32 very sharp razorlike teeth, wach being around 1in long. The goliath Tigerfish eats small crocodiles and has been known to attack humans in some cases. The fish has incredible eyesight in order to see prey in the dark and cloudy waters
Nile Crocodile
The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest crocodilian. They can reach a max size of 20ft and can be as heavy as 1650 pounds. The normal size are more in the area of 16 feet and 500 pounds. They live in many places such as the Saharan Africa, Madagascar's river, mangrove swamps, and freshwater marshes (National).
Works Cited
1. Biology of Lakes and Rivers." Biomes of the Earth Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://online.factsonfile.com/RecURL.aspx?did=57351>.
2. "Congo River." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132484/Congo-River>.
3. Day, Trevor, and Richard Garratt. Lakes and Rivers. New York: Chelsea, 2006. Print.
4. Ecology of Lakes and Rivers." Biomes of the Earth Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://online.factsonfile.com/RecURL.aspx?did=57352>.
5.Freshwater, Lakes, and Rivers." Biomes of the Earth Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://online.factsonfile.com/RecURL.aspx?did=57348>
6.Fuller, P., E. Maynard, D. Raikow, J. Larson, A. Fusaro, and M. Neilson. 2013.
Morone americana. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database,
Gainesville, FL.
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/
factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=777 Revision Date: 11/20/2012
7. Krause, A.E., K.A. Frank, D.M. Mason, and W.W. Taylor. Changes in the
connectivity pattern of a food-web network after biological invasions.
Special Session- Integrating Approaches to Connectivity: Landscapes,
Patches & Networks. 89th ESA Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society
of America, Portland, Oregon. August 1-6, 2004.
8. "manatee." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/361325/manatee>.
9."Michigan, Lake." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012. Encyclopedia.com. 26
Mar. 2013<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
10. National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013.
<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/nile-crocodile/>.
11. Physical Geography of Lakes and Rivers." Biomes of the Earth Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://online.factsonfile.com/RecURL.aspx?did=57349>.
12. "Physical Geography of Lakes and Rivers." Biomes of the Earth Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
13. "Uses of Lakes and Rivers." Biomes of the Earth Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. http://online.factsonfile.com/RecURL.aspx?did=57354